"T-R-O-U-B-L-E"!

[Juan Luis]

Recorded by Elvis Presley in Hollywood, California at RCA Studio C on March 11, 1975. Felton Jarvis producing with Rick Ruggieri engineer.

The Jerry Chestnut penned rocker was brought in by Lamar Fike. Elvis got into it well, even providing harmony vocals! Bass player Duke Bardwell hit the nail on the head when stating (from Ernst Jorgensen "A Life In Music"), that Elvis was "so good at that syncopated funky stuff"!

I believe this record should have done better than it did. Elvis promoted it as well while on tour.

Roy Carr and Mike Farren on "ELVIS The Illustrated Record" write: "It's inexplicable that not only the American public but the world at large didn't recognize a stone solid Elvis Presley classic when it bulldozed right over them. If that was the case, they didn't deserve better." Yeah!

I was gifted the "TODAY" album for Christmas 1975, and remember returning the album to Specs Records around three times cause the needle jumped at the start of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"!
Good times!



..



More from "Elvis The Illustrated Record" -

[brian]

It was a good song and I'm glad he recorded it. It's not strange that the song didn't chart better than that. Elvis was 40 years old at the time and he wasn't getting as much radio play as he did when he was a young man. Also he didn't go on television and promote it like other singers would. Just recording a song, releasing it and then hoping that disc jockey's would play it wasn't cutting it anymore. I did think the song should have went top ten on the country charts. It peaked at #11 on the country charts but should've been top ten.

[jeanno]

Like the rest of the lp, the song leans heavily towards country music. That maybe a reason why both did not chart well.
Promised Land (the song) and most of all Burning Love are much better. IMO.

[Juan Luis]

More more power to it and him, by doing a rocker less commercial for being country tinged in the disco era.

[rlj4ep]

Thanks Juan. A good song..., however it is mystifying as to why it didn't chart better. It's got really cool lyrics, the arrangement is good, the band really delivers, and Elvis sounds good on it.

rlj

[Ciscoking]

Yep...I like it ..and I also like the many live renditions...its a nice country tune...as the whole Today LP was...he played quite a few songs live on stage from it...Elvis was a great fan of country music..

[TCBell]

Following two Top Ten's (My Boy - #5, Promised Land - #9), it only managed a disappointing #31 in the UK. Shame, it's a good country-rocker.

[r&b]

Like the rest of the lp, the song leans heavily towards country music. That maybe a reason why both did not chart well.
Promised Land (the song) and most of all Burning Love are much better. IMO.

When I played this 45 for a friend who was into current 1975 rock music, he didnt care for it. His comment was Elvis was doing a song that maybe would be better suited for Jerry Lee Lewis! He actually liked the flip better, Mr Songman. Opinions right? As for me, I dug it and I liked all the A sided singles 1975-77. The production has a bit too much going on, and its a little fussy sounding, it should be brighter and clearer. but thats a minor complaint. I was very disappointed with the albums though, as they didnt follow suit being of the same quality. After the singles led off the album, it went straight downhill.

[Scarre]

I like the song very much. The ending is a little "boring", heyheyhey, but it doesn't ruin the song.

[Juan Luis]

http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/NMm2ZJBW/file.html

[Eggrert]

I like the song, but to me, there's something missing. I really can't explain it, but it doesn't quite have the magical spark that other Elvis recordings have. I Can Help is the real jewel on Today, imo.

[fn2drive]

It was 1975 and Elvis was irrelevant as a recording artist. While a better track than most of what he was recording, it wasn’t going to get play much beyond the country charts because RCA didn’t have much juice beyond the country charts and Elvis did nothing to support his singles other than perform them on occasion on tour. The song never sounded great on the car radio-the vocal harmony and reverb were all too much. Burning Love sounded way better and Promised Land while better than TROUBLE still didn’t have great car radio sound. Another example of weak post production. And Elvis sounded out of breath or didn’t have his full breath control.

Again solid and quite the great effort given 1975 but Elvis was selling records to his fans at that point.

[jeanno]

I like the song, but to me, there's something missing. I really can't explain it, but it doesn't quite have the magical spark that other Elvis recordings have. I Can Help is the real jewel on Today, imo.

Yep, I Can Help was Elvis 1975 golden recording. Shake A Hand was nice too. The rest is way too country. It was totally irrelevant for joe public.

[keninlincs]

Glad it was recorded,still gets a frequent spin 42 years later.

[Juan Luis]

I like the song, but to me, there's something missing. I really can't explain it, but it doesn't quite have the magical spark that other Elvis recordings have. I Can Help is the real jewel on Today, imo.

Yep, I Can Help was Elvis 1975 golden recording. Shake A Hand was nice too. The rest is way too country. It was totally irrelevant for joe public.

Elvis in 1956 did a lot of "damage" to country music. Everything changed (with all genres), after that.

Elvis recording outside the mainstream was a normal thing since his beginnings. He wasn't too country, just the same as he wouldn't be too bluesy had he recorded a full blown blues album.
I am glad Elvis didn't sell out to the pop of the time. And by selling out, I mean doing it for the money versus the music he really loved from day one.

[jeanno]

During the 70's, Elvis recorded mostly Country music and MOR. Which, to my point of view, is sad.

Had Elvis recorded a full blown r&blues album, it wouldn't have been too bluesy: it would have been, first, a revelation (since he was an incredible r&b performer plus he had never done that before) and, second, it would have been a nice departure from the country & western repertoir he was so keen on during that vastly wasted decade.

[TCBell]

Elvis may have recorded country songs, but he never sounded "country" to my ears. When compared to other country singers, the music is totally different (apart from maybe Just Call Me Lonesome).

[Ciscoking]

He had his own style...but it was country music...I like his style...btw...

[jeanno]

The real Elvis was so much more than a country music singer. That is, the Elvis before 1971.

[Jukebox Jam]

A good song..., however it is mystifying as to why it didn't chart better.

brian and jeanno addressed that with fairly reasonable explanations...

It's not strange that the song didn't chart better than that. Elvis was 40 years old at the time and he wasn't getting as much radio play as he did when he was a young man. Also he didn't go on television and promote it like other singers would. Just recording a song, releasing it and then hoping that disc jockey's would play it wasn't cutting it anymore.

Like the rest of the lp, the song leans heavily towards country music. That maybe a reason why both did not chart well.

[poormadpeter2]

I am not sure why the country element would be a factor, as country songs were often doing well in the charts at the time, including the two ONJ songs that Elvis covered and, of course, Fairytale by the Pointer Sisters.

[bajo]

I really dig that Carr/Farren comment of this song. And yes, I actually play this track often! It is good, and I've always loved the album too!

[Juan Luis]

During the 70's, Elvis recorded mostly Country music and MOR. Which, to my point of view, is sad.

Had Elvis recorded a full blown r&blues album, it wouldn't have been too bluesy: it would have been, first, a revelation (since he was an incredible r&b performer plus he had never done that before) and, second, it would have been a nice departure from the country & western repertoir he was so keen on during that vastly wasted decade.

For you, maybe. But country music is not inferior to blues or any genre. The real Elvis was as much country as he was Gospel, or rhythm and blues.

[Ciscoking]

Country Music was very popular back then...with many great hits..no wonder he played it..Elvis was up to date..so to say....I wish he also was earlier..

[jeanno]

In 1975, the rock scene was pretty interesting: Dylan's "Blood on tracks", Springsteen's "Born to Run", and Queen, Patti Smith, The Eagles, etc. No Country & Western music in those albums... except for Elvis. The greatest rocker of them all singing SUSAN WHEN SHE TRIED and PIECES OF MY LIFE.
Sad.